Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Despite having torrential rains, I still wanted to get some fishing in. Most of the spots I frequent were either flooded out or the water looked like chocolate milk, so I started calling around to others I fish with. A good friend of mine let me know he had been catching fish, and more so, fish out of the ordinary for me. He began to explain that he and his father-in-law had been catching limits of trout! He reminded me that the local parks in the colder months stock their ponds with rainbows, and that they had been capitalizing on that. I made a quick trip over to meet them and we caught nearly three limits of trout and a nice crappie in less than ideal conditions. I know this isn't as exciting as the blast off of a FLW tournament, but I sure had a great time. So here is a look at the first trout I have ever caught in Kentucky!

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

I went fishing with my daughter in a feeder creek to Lake Barkley. The weather was so nice, so we in a moments notice decided to drive to Land Between the Lakes National Park and have a picnic. We brought some fishing tackle because there is a nice small lake and a creek there. We didn't catch much, but I did catch this little guy. It is only the second yellow perch I have ever caught in Kentucky. We may have more than I think swimming around, but it was cool to catch anyhow. Make the best out of what you have! We had such a great day. D

Saturday, December 12, 2015

For years I hauled around a tackle box by the handle. The problem I ran into, was when I fished from the shore or pond bank, was I never had enough hands to carry all my stuff. About six years ago I had a great idea. During a spring cleaning event at home I found an old backpack my wife had when she attended college. I was going to create a hands free tackle box! I drove to Wal-Mart and bought five of the Plano clear tackle boxes inserts. After a return trip due to buying the wrong sizes, I put together my hands free tackle box. My only wish now is that the backpack could be a little bigger, but beggers can't be choosers. I'm sure with a little detective work, anyone can find a used backpack for free, and I have less than twenty bucks tied up in the inserts. The best part of the whole thing is how much tackle can be fitted into it!

Organize the inserts however you want!

I tried to make my hands free tackle box as versatile as possible. I can fish with crank baits on one end of the spectrum, to fishing with live bait and watching a float on the other end of the spectrum. Set it up to accommodate how YOU fish. Oh, don't forget tools like-- needle nose pliers, multi-tool, stringer, and extra fishing line!

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Some of the tackle I used.
--I bought some Plano tackle boxes from Wal-Mart that fit into a backpack that was lying around the house. If you are fishing from the shore, it makes it so much easier to transport your tackle and free up your hands
--Berkley 6'6" light medium action rod
--Gander Mountian brand spinning reel
--Sufix 4lb fishing line (you need light line to cast those light weight jigs)
--various Bobby Garland baits
--Gulp Waxies (I feel like the added scent triggers more strikes by sluggish fish)
I try different jig weights depending on how much current or wind. What I mean is, I want a slow fall with the jig through the water and maintain constant feel of the jig. Many strikes happen on that slow fall, and if your line has a huge bow in it from the wind you probably will miss the strike. Keep in mind, it is very important to watch your line as it falls. A keen eye will pick up on the tell-tale tick of a light strike. Just as important as keeping contact with a slow fall (especially in colder water), don't tie on a jig so heavy that it falls unnaturally fast. I have found it matters less in the summer months when the fish are much more aggressive though. Now for color combinations with the jig bodies. I am no expert in this field, but this is what I do. Clear water and sunny days, I use colors that closely resemble minnows or shad and even opaque jigs. I like a metallic flak on sunny days. Stained water, I like brighter colors, and in low light, I use dark colors. It sounds crazy to use dark colors when its darker, but they stand out against the lighter surface. When I fish at night, for example, I use purples and dark organge. It doesn't cost much to change jigs if the action isn't hot. Even if you are catching fish, some subtle changes in color can really improve your success. Just stay open minded and try to adapt to what they want. To be honest, I never really figured them out this day. I was catching some fish, but I feel like if I had more time, I could have really got on a pattern. I would like to thank everyone for checking out my blog. D

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Darin French

About Me

Hey everyone, my name is Darin and I would like to thank you for checking out my site! My goal is to provide a means for average people who love the outdoors to learn different techniques, find useful tips, great recipes, and share information another average dude (myself) would use to improve his own skills.

I have lived in Western Kentucky most of my life and have always enjoyed being outdoors. Hunting and fishing is a part of my heritage. Some of my fondest memories as a child are of hunting and fishing with my family ( including my mom). As I grew up, I took every advantage I got to be outdoors. This year I turned the BIG 40. Now married and having 2 kids, the opportunities to get out in the field or spend a day at a lake fishing are few and far between and rightfully so. I have a beautiful, amazing, and supportive wife! The same could be said about my wonderful kids. I am a career firefighter / paramedic and like most firefighters, I usually have a second job. Although as an adult my passion for the outdoors haven't changed, my priorities have. After being a husband, father, firefighter, medic, and handy man at home, I still love to hunt and fish when I can. Don't think for a minute that I am complaining though. There is nothing more important to me than my family and since I was not born royalty, I have to work. I know this sounds very familiar to you and that is the very reason I started this endeavor. So, I hope you enjoy my posts. I hope this site is informative or in the very least somewhat entertaining. I hope you will share this with your friends and come back again. Thanks again. Darin